Magic's Ryan Anderson should be write-in candidate for All-Star Game

Magic GM Otis Smith stole Anderson from New Jersey

Magic fans already have unified and galvanized once during this young NBA season in a cooperative effort to show one player how much they appreciate him.

Operation "Fight for Dwight" has certainly shown the Magic's best player — franchise center Dwight Howard — just how much he means to the team and the town.

Now it's time to show the team's second-best player just how valuable he has become. Time to boot up those laptops, Magic fans, and flood the All-Star ballot box with write-in votes. Yes, "Fight for Dwight!" has a corresponding rallying cry:

"Tryin' for Ryan!"

"If somebody wants to write in my name, that would be awesome," says Ryan Anderson, the Magic's 6-foot-10 forward who might be the biggest surprise of the young NBA season. "If not, no worries. I would have never dreamed anybody would even consider me as an All-Star."

The problem during this lockout-shortened season is the All-Star ballots were compiled even before the first game was played. The ballots came out earlier this week and the Magic's candidate list includes four names: Howard, Jameer Nelson, Hedo Turkoglu and Jason Richardson. With all due respect, there are only two Magic starters who are playing like All-Stars right now — Dwight, of course, and the man Magic players refer to as "Ryno."

"If Ryan keeps playing the way he's playing," Magic GM Otis Smith says, "he's got to get on the ballot somehow."

Who knows if Anderson's phenomenal play will continue, but right now he is one of the most potent weapons in the league. He leads the Magic in scoring with 19.7 points per game and leads the NBA in 3-pointers. He has become a rare commodity — a 6-foot-10 player who can shoot the 3, handle the ball and rebound.

Howard actually says this Magic team reminds him of the 2009 team that went to the NBA Finals. If so, Anderson is a major reason. He's starting to look more and more like Rashard Lewis in his prime — without the $118 million price tag.

Smith and the organization's front office rightfully get a ton of criticism for some of the deals that haven't worked out (see Gilbert Arenas), but rarely do they get the same amount of credit for some of the personnel moves that have made the franchise the third-winningest in the league over the last four seasons.

"It's the nature of everything," Magic coach Stan Van Gundy says. "We take the good for granted and when something doesn't turn out, we jump all over it. There have been a lot of damn good moves made here. Dwight, Jameer and J.J. (Redick) all came through the draft, and none of those picks were considered no-brainers at the time. And Courtney Lee was a great pick that allowed us to get Ryan Anderson."

At the time, the media portrayed Anderson as a "throw-in" when the Magic sent Lee, Rafer Alston and Tony Battie to the New Jersey Nets for Vince Carter. In hindsight, Carter was the throw-in and Anderson was the steal of the deal. Smith says now the Magic never would have made the trade if Anderson hadn't been included.

"We gave up a good, young player in Courtney Lee and felt it was important to get one in return," Smith says.

Anderson says he is thankful Smith and Van Gundy had the confidence to push for him in the deal. Playing with Howard, after all, is a shooter's dream. With defenses sagging to keep Dwight from dominating the middle, Anderson has the space to launch the three. Likewise, his height and ability to shoot over defenders often opens up the inside for Dwight.

"From Day 1, the Magic have shown a ton of faith in me," Anderson says. "They have consistently shown that they didn't consider me just some throw-in when they made the trade with New Jersey."

Back then, we all thought the Magic were trading for a former All-Star in Vince Carter.

Little did we know that Ryan Anderson might very well turn into a future All-Star.

mbianchi@tribune.com. Follow him on Twitter at BianchiWrites. Listen to his radio show every weekday from 6 to 9 a.m. on 740-AM.